[Northkeep] Lighten up and Where has all the fun gone.

[Marc Carlson]

You know, I'm betting there are probably about 150 people on this list -- I won't even pretend
to guess how many on the Ansteorra and Northern Regional lists.  Of those, there are very few
who will say things that everyone will agree with (and I already know I'm not one of them, thank
you).  But you know, we don't have to agree with each other -- we just have to play nice if
possible.  I know that for -ME- that means sometimes really thinking about how what I say
is going to come across (there are those here who may remember what my messages look
like when I *don't* care how it appears, and can tell you that there are marked differences).

This means that not everyone is going to find the same things funny, or interesting.  I know that if
I were to start posting a daily diary entry to this list, some people would start getting board with it.
If I started sending (even joking) messages bashing Norsemen - something that would be perfectly
in keeping with my persona, mind you, eventually some of the Norse persona's (and not a few of
the people with Scandinavian ancestry, would start getting tired of it.  Others, OTOH, would likely
find it regularly hilarious (I can be pretty funny when I'm insulting people).  We might assume that
people could (and should) just delete things that they don't like.  But does it mean that they
should have to take it in the first place?

If I'm in my work place, and I decide to start joking with the ladies around here (so much so that they
are uncomfortable) is that sexual harassment, or should they 'lighten up'?

Ok, no one likes being told that they are doing something "wrong", or believe something that's "bad"
or whatever.  Irving doesn't like having his religion bashed, Sam doesn't like being told that he's an
insensitive clod, Timmy doesn't like reading something he sees as historically accurate -  and so they
knee-jerk and make a stupid response that just makes things worse.

So, maybe we, and that's me included, should try talking to the person offending us privately before
showing our butts publicly.  If you can't reach that person because you've been killfiled/bozo filtered/
whatever, catch a clue -- they are ignoring you.  Get over it.  Let's try acting like adults for a change.

Marc/Diarmaid